Fin collection and transport apparatus

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for producing, collecting and transporting platelike fins, including fin forming means for simultaneously forming plural fins in adjacent side-by-side relationship from sheet material. The forming means causes the fins to be discharged outwardly in the lengthwise direction thereof. Fin handling means are positioned adjacent the forming means for collecting and transporting the fins. The fin handling means includes an endless conveyor having a substantially straight upper reach positioned adjacent the forming means and movable substantially transverse to the direction of movement of the fins as discharged from the forming means. 
     A plurality of elongated fin collectors are fixed to the endless conveyor, being spaced a predetermined distance apart throughout the lengthwise direction of the conveyor, said predetermined distance being equal to the centerline-to-centerline distance between adjacent fins as discharged from the forming means. The collectors projecting outwardly in substantially transverse relationship to the endless conveyor for permitting a plurality of fins to be collected thereon in stacked relationship.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an improved apparatus and method forcollecting and transporting platelike fins, such as for heat exchangers,wherein the fins are received from a conventional fin line apparatus andare collected in predetermined stacks, with said stacks beingtransported to and discharged into a chute.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Fins of the type used for attachment to heat exchanger tubes, such asused in heating, air conditioning, and heat exchange equipment, areconventionally formed on a ribbon-type fin line apparatus. Thisapparatus acts on a sheet of suitable material such as sheet metal tosimultaneously form a plurality of platelike fins during each cycle ofoperation. In addition to servering the fins from the sheet stock, theapparatus also simultaneously forms several holes through each fin sothat they can be positioned in surrounding relationship to appropriateheat exchanger tubes.

While this known fin line apparatus is able to produce fins at arelatively high rate, nevertheless, the handling of the fins, andspecifically the collecting of the fins and the transporting thereof toa further work station has long presented a problem to users of thisequipment. Most heat exchanger manufacturers utilizing fin formingequipment of the above type position a spiked fin-stacking rack adjacentthe apparatus so that the fins, when discharged from the press, arecollected on the rack. The fins collect in vertical stacks until therack is filled, whereupon it is then necessary to shut down the fan lineapparatus and the filled rack is then removed.

In an attempt to improve the efficiency of this operation, some fin lineapparatus have provided a rotary table or shuttle with a plurality offin receiving racks thereon so that when one rack is filled, it can beremoved and an empty rack moved into the fin receiving position. Thisoperation, while it minimizes the shutdown time of the apparatus,nevertheless still requires shutdown of the apparatus for a substantialtime.

When utilizing spiked racks as described above, the spikes are normallyof substantial height to permit formation thereon of a fin stack ofmaximum height. This, however, creates additional problems in that ithas been discovered that the large vertical stacks can cause deflectionof the spikes so that the upper ends do not properly align with thedischarge of the press. Hence, proper feeding of fins onto the spikesmay be difficult, possibly fouling the stacking operation and requiringa shutdown of the overall assembly.

The use of these known spiked racks for stacking fins also requiressubstantial manual manipulation and effort inasmuch as the fins, whencollected in stacks on the rack, are normally manually removed from theracks for supply to a further processing station.

While other devices have been devised which have attempted to providefor automated collecting and transporting of fins, nevertheless theseother devices have primarily related to machines of the fin-per-stroketype which normally produce only a single fin during each cycle, or atbest only a small number of fins per stroke since the fins are moved ina direction perpendicular to their lengthwise extent. This type ofmachine has a very limited rate of production, particularly whencompared with a multi-progression ribbon-type fin line apparatus whichcan produce a large number of fins (such as thirty-two) during eachcycle. The fin-per-stroke machine is thus totally undesirable where theefficient mass producing and handling of fins is required.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improvedapparatus and method for collecting and stacking the fins as formed on afin forming apparatus, and then transporting the fins to a further worklocation, which apparatus and method overcome the abovementioneddisadvantages.

More specifically, it is an object to provide an improved apparatus, asaforesaid, employing an endless fin collector extending between the finforming apparatus and a selected location, which collector permits thefins to be collected and stacked thereon, and then automaticallytransported to said selected location for discharge. The endlesscollector includes an endless conveyor member movable transversely ofthe ribbon-type fin forming apparatus so that the newly formed fins aresequentially vertically stacked on the conveyor member due to themovement thereof below the apparatus. When the conveyor member leavesthe region below the fin forming apparatus, it contains thereon adjacentstacks each containing a predetermined number of fins. This endlesscollector thus permits efficient and automatic collection of fins invertical stacks each containing a predetermined number of fins, which isa function of the number of fins produced in side-by-side relationshipduring each operation, with the stacks being automatically transportedto and discharged from the collector at a selected location.

A further object is to provide an apparatus, as a aforesaid, wherein theendless conveyor member is formed by a plurality of adjacent finreceiving devices each formed by a bottom fin support and havingoutwardly projecting fin supporting structure, such as two or moreoutwardly projecting spikes adapted to project through openings formedin the fins, to securely and accurately receive and vertically stack thefins as they are discharged from the fin forming machine, so that thestacks can be securely and safely transported to a discharge location.

Still a further object is to provide an improved apparatus, asaforesaid, which includes a removing structure in association with theendless collector for enabling the stacks of fins to be sequentially andautomatically removed from the endless conveyor member at the dischargelocation, with the removal of the stacks being synchronized with thereceiving of the fins on the endless collector from the fin formingmachine, so as to provide for totally automatic collecting, transportingand discharging of the fins, thereby providing an efficient andtime-saving operation.

Another object is to provide an improved method, as aforesaid, forreceiving, collecting, transporting and discharging fins as formed on aconventional ribbon-type fin forming machine, which method can becarried out automatically at a high rate of speed consistent with thecontinuous operation of the fin forming machine while simultaneouslyenabling the collected stacks of fins to be efficiently and safelytransported to and discharged at a further work location, therebyproviding a method having vastly improved accuracy and efficiency incontrast to prior known techniques.

Still another object is to provide an improved fin supporting structurein association with a ribbon-type machine, which fin supportingstructure is particularly desirable when used in combination with theaforesaid apparatus and method of this invention, and which finsupporting structure permits the plurality of fins as formed during eachcycle of the machine to be securely and acccurately held in properorientation and then efficiently and rapidly discharged downwardly inthe necessary aligned relationship for deposit on the fin stackingstructure located therebelow.

Other objects and purposes of the invention will be apparent to personsfamiliar with apparatus and methods of this general type upon readingthe following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating, in general, the improvedapparatus of this invention used in conjunction with a conventionalribbon-type fin forming line.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic, side elevational view of the ribbon-type finforming machine and its relationship to the endless fin collector ofthis invention.

FIG. 3 diagrammatically illustrates the side-by-side positionalrelationship of a plurality of fins as formed during each operationalcycle of the ribbon-type fin line.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, cross sectional view through the improved finsupporting head of the fin forming machine.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line V--V in FIG. 4.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are a side elevational view, partially in cross section,of the improved apparatus, with FIG. 6A illustrating the discharge endof the endless fin collector in conjunction with a fin removal device,and FIG. 6B illustrating the opposite end of the endless fin collector.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the endless fin collector, same beingillustrated with the fins removed and partially in cross section forpurposes of illustration.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line VIII--VIII inFIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line IX--IX in FIG.7.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary view taken along line X--X in FIG. 9. FIG. 11is a fragmentary plan view of the fin removal device positioned adjacentthe discharge end of the fin collector, as taken substantially alongline XI--XI in FIG. 12.

FIG. 12 is a side elevational view of the fin removal device takenpartially in cross section substantially along line XII--XII in FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary sectional view through the fin removal device,substantially along lines XIII--XIII as appearing in FIGS. 11 and 12.

Certain terminology will be used in the following description forconvenience in reference only and will not be limiting. For example, thewords "rightwardly", "leftwardly", "upwardly" and "downwardly" willrefer to direction in the drawings to which reference is made. The word"forwardly" will refer to the normal direction through which the fin andrelated conveying and transporting apparatus is moved as the fin ismoved away from the fin forming line toward the next work station. Thewords "inwardly" and "outwardly" will refer to directions toward andaway from, respectively, the geometric center of the apparatus anddesignated parts thereof. Said terminology will include the wordsspecifically mentioned, derivatives thereof and words of similar import.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate therein a system 2 for forming, collecting,transporting and discharge fins according to the present invention. Thissystem includes a conventional ribbon-type fin forming line 3 whichsimultaneously forms a plurality of rectangular fins from sheetmaterial, with the fins being collected in stacks S on an endless fincollector 4. The fin stacks S are then transported to a discharge orremoval device 5 which removes the fin stacks from the collector anddeposits same on a pair of opposed fin collecting rails 6 on which acolumn of fins 7 are slidably displaced toward the next working station.

The fin line 3 is of a conventional and well-known construction, and isthus only diagrammatically illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. This line 3 issupplied with sheet material 8, commonly referred to as a ribbon, from aroll 9. The ribbon 8 is fed through a fin forming machine 10 where it ispunched to form the desired holes or apertures therethrough, and is thenfed horizontally between opposed upper and lower platens 11 and 12.These platens have suitable dies thereon such that, when the upperplaten is moved downwardly, these dies cooperate to cut the ribbon alongseveral parallel lines which extend longitudinally of the ribbon,thereby forming a plurality of equal width, side-by-side strips whichproject longitudinally of the ribbon. These strips project outwardlyabove the lower platen 12 and are engaged by a reciprocal drive plate 13which has projecting retractable drive fingers which engage theapertures in the strips. This plate 13 is reciprocated by a crank 14secured to a drive shaft 15, the latter being driven from the machinepower source. This drive arrangement causes the complete ribbon to thehorizontally fed through the machine 10 in an intermittent steplikemanner. The projecting strips, after passing over the drive plate 13,pass through a cutoff mechanism 16 so that the strips then project undera fin supporting structure 17.

The fin supporting structure 17, conventionally referred to as a suctionhead, includes a lower horizontal support plate 18 provided with rows ofsmall apertures or holes 19 therethrough. The rows of apertures arepositioned to extend substantially along the lengthwise edges of themetal strips which are positioned directly beneath the plate 18. Theseapertures 19 communicate with an interior suction chamber 21, which inturn communicates with a suction fan 22 driven from a motor 23. Thisarrangement creates a suction within chamber 21 so that air flowsupwardly through the apertures, thereby holding the metal strips againstthe undersurface of plate 18. After the strips have been fed outwardlybeneath the plate 18, then cutoff device 16 is actuated in aconventional manner to sever the free ends of the strips from thecontinuous ribbon which extends through the machine 10, which severedstrips now form the completed fins F, which fins are held inside-by-side relationship adjacent the undersurface of the plate 18.

The above-described structure is well known so that further detaileddescription thereof is not believed necessary.

The fin supporting structure 17 also has an improved fin dischargeassist means 24 associated therewith, which assist means 24 will bedescribed hereinafter.

Considering now the endless fin collector 4, same includes a frame 31 onwhich is rotatably supported front and rear sprocket shafts 32 and 33,respectively. These shafts extend horizontally in parallel relationshipand have front and rear sprocket pairs 34 and 35 nonrotatably connectedthereto. These sprocket pairs in turn support and drivingly engage anendless chainlike conveying means 36 having outwardly projecting finsupporting means 37 fixed thereto at regularly spaced intervalstherealong. The endless conveying means 36 is disposed with at least astraight upper reach extending substantially horizontally, andpositioned so as to move perpendicularly with respect to the horizontaldirection of movement of the fins as discharged from the fin line 3.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the front sprocket pair 34 is formed byidentical axially-spaced sprocket wheels 41-41', and the rear sprocketpair 35 is similarly formed by identical axially-spaced sprocket wheels42-42'. The endless conveying means 36 comprises a pair of substantiallyidentical endless chainlike members 43-43' which respectively extendbetween and are supported on the pairs of sprocket wheels 41-42 and41'-42'.

Each endless member 43-43' is formed from a plurality of substantiallyidentical links 44 which are pivotally connected together and each ofwhich has sprocket rollers 45 projecting outwardly from opposite sidesthereof. A stacker block 46 is fixed to each link 44, and each block 46has an elongated rod or spike 47 fixed thereto and projectingperpendicularly outwardly therefrom, which spike terminates in a taperedor pointed end. The spikes 47 on conveying members 43-43' formcooperative pairs so as to stably support thereon a stack S of aperturedfins F. The cooperative pair of spikes includes one spike on the chain43 and a further spike on the chain 43', which two spikes aresubstantially transversely aligned with one another when viewed from theside of the endless chain. However, the cooperative pair of spikes areslightly offset from one another in the direction of movement of thechain so as to accommodate the staggered relationship of the aperturesformed in the fins F. This cooperative pair of sidewardly displacedspikes defines the aforementioned fin supporting means 37.

The sprocket wheels may be adjustable to provide the desiredrelationship of the conveyor to the fin line; and the specific fingeometry. For this purpose the sprocket wheels 41-41' are rotatablysupported on adjustment blocks 48-48' which in turn are rotatably andaxially slidably supported on a guide rod 49 which extends parallel tothe front sprocket shaft 32. Similar adjustment blocks 51-51' have thesprocket wheels 42-42' rotatably supported relative thereto, with theseadjustment blocks being rotatably and axially slidably supported on afurther guide rod 52 which extends parallel to the rear sprocket shaft33. A threaded adjustment screw 53 is rotatably supported on theadjustment block 48 and is threadably connected to the oppositeadjustment block 48'. A similar threaded adjustment screw 53' isrotatably supported on block 51 and threadably engaged with block 51'.These parallel adjustment screws 53 and 53' have sprockets on the outerends thereof which are joined by an endless chain 54. By manuallyrotating one of the shafts 53 or 53', as by means of a wrench, bothshafts are rotated in the same direction so that the adjustment blocks48' and 51', together with the sprocket wheels 41'-42' mounted thereon,are slidably moved axially away from or toward the opposed adjustmentblocks 48 and 51. This thus permits the spacing between the cooperatingpairs of sprocket wheels, and hence the spacing between the chains43-43', to be adjusted.

The four sprocket wheels can also be adjusted sidewardly as a unitrelative to the stationary frame. This may be provided by means ofparallel threaded adjustment screws 55-55' which are threadably engagedwith adjustment blocks 48-51 respectively. The outer ends of screws55-55' are rotatably supported in bearings 56-56' secured to the frame.Appropriate sprockets are nonrotatably secured to the outer free ends ofthe shafts 55-55', which sprockets are joined by an endless chain 57 sothat the screws 55-55' are simultaneously rotatable in the samedirection. Manual rotation of one of these screw shafts 55-55', as bymeans of a wrench, will cause all of the adjustment blocks and hence allof the chain sprocket wheels to be moved sidewardly as a unit so thatthe conveyor chains 43-43' can be positioned as desired with respect tothe suction head 17.

The endless conveying members 43-43' are driven by any suitable indexingdrive unit to cause the chains to be intermittently moved in a steplikemanner through distances of uniform predetermined length, which lengthequals the centerline-to-centerline spacing between the adjacent fins asheld beneath the suction head 17. This indexing drive means is normallyconnected to one of the sprocket shafts 32-33, and the drive meansitself may assume many different conventional forms, involving eitherrotary or linear drive motors coupled with appropriate control structurefor insuring that the indexing occurs at proper intervals and throughproper distances.

The illustrated embodiment has the endless chains 43-43' intermittentlydriven in a steplike manner by the indexing drive means 61 asillustrated in FIG. 9. This drive means includes a double-acting fluidpressure cylinder 62 which is fixed to the conveyor frame 31 and has anupwardly projecting piston rod 63 secured to a vertically movable driveblock 64. This block, which is slidably guided by the pin 65, isprovided with a driving pawl 66 projecting sidewardly therefrom, whichpawl is springed urged outwardly. Pawl 66 is disposed to drivinglyengage a pin wheel 67 which is nonrotatably secured to the frontsprocket shaft 32 and is disposed axially between the sprocket wheels 41and 41'. When cylinder 62 is energized to move the drive block 64upwardly, the pawl 66 engages a pin 68 on wheel 67 to rotate the pinwheel and hence the sprocket wheels through a predetermined angularextent. When the piston rod is moved downwardly, the lower taperedsurface on the pawl 66 causes it to be cammed inwardly to thereby passover the pin and hence cause no reverse rotation of the pin wheel.

The indexing drive means 61 also has a holding or brake device 71associated therewith and engageable with the chains 43-43' to positivelystop and hold the chains after they have been advanced the desiredsteplike distance. This brake device 71, as illustrated in FIGS. 9 and10, includes an elongated crossbar 72 which is fixed to the drive block64 and extends horizontally across the distance between the two chainsbelow the horizontal upper reaches thereof. Mounted on each end of thecrossbar 72, directly below the horizontal reach of each chain, is apair of parallel actuator pins 73 which extend through verticallyelongated slots 74 formed in a pair of cooperating brake pins 75 whichare vertically slidably supported on a stationary guide rail 85 to beexplained hereinafter. The upper ends of brake pins 75 are normallymaintained in a lowermost position as illustrated, wherein they do notinterfere with the advancing movement of the chain. When cylinder 62 isenergized to move the drive block 64 upwardly, the initial upwardlifting causes the pawl 66 to rotate the pin wheel 67 and the actuatorpins 73 slide upwardly until they engage the upper ends of slots 74,whereupon further upward lifting causes the brake pins 75 to be liftedupwardly so that the upper ends thereof project upwardly a sufficientdistance as to be positioned directly in front of the sprocket rollers45 as associated with one of the chain links 44, thereby positivelystopping the chain and preventing further advancing thereof, such as dueto inertia.

To insure proper guiding of the chains 43-43' and prevent undesireddrooping of the upper and lower reaches as they extend between thesprockets, there is provided appropriate slide rails for engaging boththe upper and lower chain reaches. More specifically, as illustrated inFIG. 8, a pair of parallel bottom guide rails 81 extend between thepairs of adjustment blocks 48-51 and 48'-51', which guide rails arefixed to the blocks by downwardly opening channel-like brackets 82.These guide rails define longitudinally extending, downwardly openingslots 83 through which project the spikes 47 associated with the lowerreach of the endless chains.

A further pair of parallel, elongated guide plates 84 extend between andare fixedly connected to the pairs of adjustment blocks 48-51 and48'-51'. These guide plates 84 have upwardly opening channel-like guiderails 85 fixed thereto and extending longitudinally therealong. Theseguide channels 85 slidably guide the links 44 of the chains 43-43' forlongitudinal movement therealong, and additionally prevent sidewarddisplacement of the upper reaches of the chains. There is also provideda top holddown rail 86 associated with the upper reach of each conveyorchain, which hold-down rail has a row of balls 87 captive therein. Theseballs 87 are spaced longitudinally along the upper chain reach atintervals equal to the spacing of adjacent chain links 44, so that oneball 87 will thus be positionable for engagement with a small detent orrecess 88 as formed in the upper surface of each chain link 44. Thehold-down rail 86 is horizontally pivoted at 89, and the outer end ofthis rail is connected to the piston rod of a conventional double-actingfluid pressure cylinder 91 which, when energized to cause the piston rodto move upwardly, causes pivoting of the rail 86 so that the balls 87move into the detents 88 and thereby securely and stationarily hold theupper reach of the chains.

Considering now the fin discharge device 5, same is disposed adjacentand substantially aligned with one end of the endless collector 4 fordischarging the fin stacks S therefrom.

The fin discharge device 5, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 11-13, includes astationary frame 96 having a fin removal mechanism 97 for removing thefin stacks S from the conveyor at that position wherein the spikes 47project substantially horizontally. The removed stack S is then engagedby an advancing mechanism 98 and is moved forwardly in the samedirection through a further predetermined distance, whereupon the finsare thus stackingly held in a horizontally extending column 7 whilebeing supported on the opposed L-shaped guide rails 6.

Considering first the fin removal mechanism 97, same includes aplurality of L-shaped rakes 101 positioned in spaced relationship acrossthe width of the frame. Each rake 101 includes a substantiallyhorizontal base plate 102 which, at its free end, is provided with afixed upwardly projecting pusher plate 103. The other end of horizontalplates 102 are fixed to a movable cross bar 104 which extendshorizontally transversely across the frame and is secured to a pair ofslides 105, which slides in turn are slidably supported on a pair ofparallel guide rods 106. These rods 106 extend horizontally in parallelrelationship to the discharge direction of the fin stacks S. The slides105 are connected to elongated connecting rods 107 which, at their otherends, are connected to the outer end of an oscillating crank arm 108,which in turn is secured to an oscillating drive shaft 109.

The shaft 109, and hence the arm 108, is angularly oscillated by a driveunit 111 which, in the illustrated embodiment, includes a double-actingpressure cylinder 112 which is pivotally supported at 113 on the frameand has the piston rod thereof hingedly connected to the outer end oflever 114, the latter being fixed to the shaft 109.

The arm 108 is drivingly oscillated through a small angular extentwhereby the slides 105 are reciprocated between the two positionsillustrated in FIG. 6A. With the slides 105 in their rearwardmostposition indicated by solid lines in FIG. 6A, the rakes 101 projectoutwardly between the horizontally projecting spikes 47 so that pusherplates 103 are disposed between the two chains 43-43' adjacent the baseof the spikes. The pusher plates are thus disposed inwardly of thelowermost fin contained within the stack S_(e). Actuation of the finremoval mechanism 97 so as to cause the slides 105 to move into thedotted position (FIG. 6A) causes the rakes 101 to be pulled (leftwardlyin FIG. 12) through a distance such that the pusher plates 103 just passbeyond the pointed ends of the spikes 47, thereby causing the stackS_(e) to be totally removed from the spikes and supported on the opposedL-shaped guide rails 64.

The discharged stack S is then engaged by the fin advancing mechanism 98which includes a plurality of spaced, coplanar pusher plates 115. Theseplates 115, which have recesses 125 for permitting the pusher plates 103to pass therethrough, are fixed to a movable crossbar 116 which extendstransversely and has guide rollers 117 mounted on opposite ends thereof.These rollers are rollingly supported within horizontally elongatedslots 118 defined between elongated guide rails 119-120, which are fixedto stationary side frames 122. A further guide rail 121 is spacedupwardly and extends parallel to the rail 119 so as to define a furtherelongated guide slot 123 therebetween. The centermost rail 119 is ofshorter length and effectively terminates in a camming lever 124 whichis pivoted at 126, being urged downwardly against the lower rail 120 byits own weight. This lever 124 has an upper camming surface 127 forpermitting the roller 117 to roll upwardly therealong into the upperslot 123 as explained hereinafter.

The opposite ends of the movable crossbar 116 have vertical guide rods128 fixed thereto and projecting upwardly therefrom. These rods areslidably positioned with ball-slide guides 129 which are fixed to slideblocks 131. These blocks are slidably supported on a pair ofhorizontally extending stationary guide rods 132 which are spacedupwardly and extend parallel to the lower guide rods 106.

The upper slides 131 are connected to elongated connecting rods 133which in turn are pivotally connected to the free ends of oscillatingcrank arms 134, the latter being secured to the oscillating drive shaft109.

As illustrated in FIG. 6A, the crank arms 108 and 134 project radiallyoutwardly in opposite directions from the drive shaft 109, with the arm134 being longer than the arm 108 so that the stroke of the upper slides131 is greater than the stroke of the lower slides 105. The arms 108 and134, in the illustrated embodiment, are formed integrally as a singlelever member, although separate arms could be utilized if desired.

To prevent the frontmost fin in the stack S_(e) from falling over as thestack is being removed from the spikes 47 by the rakes 101, these rakeshave a pair of fin supporting plates 136 movably mounted on the crossbar104 and projecting vertically upwardly therefrom. These plates 136 areconnected to the upper ends of piston rods 137 associated with smallpneumatic control cylinders 138 which are stationarily mounted to andproject downwardly from the crossbar 104. The plates 136 are movablebetween a lower position wherein they permit the fin stack to passthereover, and an upper position wherein they project upwardly forengagement with the frontmost fin of the stack. The supporting plates136 are spaced from the rake pusher plates 103 by a distance slightlygreater than the height of the stack S_(e) so as to permit the latter tobe positioned therebetween.

The fin stacks supported on the guide rails 6, particularly at the inletend (rightward end in FIG. 12) of the device, are additionally supportedby an intermediate bottom rail 141 which is positioned between the rakes101 and is disposed substantially coplanar with the horizontal legs 102thereof. Further, the vertical legs of the L-shaped guide rails 6 have abrushlike structure 142 secured thereto and extending longitudinallytherealong. These brush structures are sufficiently deformable as toenable a gripping and holding of the side edges of the fins,particularly when the stack is being pushed forwardly along the rails,so as to prevent the individual fins from falling over.

Considering now the discharge means 24 associated with the suction head17, and referring specifically to FIG. 4, same includes structure forcreating a downwardly directed air blast to thereby assist in forcingthe fins to move downwardly away from the suction plate 18 for depositon the spikes 47. The suction plate 18 has a pair of stationary guides151 fixed thereto and positioned within the suction chamber 21. Theseguides extend parallel to one another in perpendicular relationships tothe elongated direction of the fins. Each of these guides has anelongated conduit or passage 152 formed therein, which passages 152 areconnected to a source of pressurized air, with flow of air to saidpassages being controlled by a suitable solenoid valve (not shown).These passages 152 each communicate with a plurality of small air jetsor holes 153 which extend downwardly through the suction plate 18 andare disposed within an elongated row. Each of the holes 153 ispositioned so as to be effectively covered by one of the fins.

In addition to the air blast structure described above, the suction head17 also has mechanical alignment structure associated therewith forinsuring that the fins, when discharged from the suction plate, areproperly aligned with the underlying spikes 47. This mechanicalalignment structure includes a plurality of downwardly projecting pins155 which are slidably supported within appropriate holes formed in theguides 151 and the underlying suction plate 18. These pins 155 aredisposed within two elongated, substantially parallel rows which extendtransversely of the suction head, with the pins being fixed to a rigidyoke 156 which is positioned above the guides 151. A small double-actingpneumatic pressure cylinder 157 is connected between the suction plate19 and the yoke 156 for causing vertical reciprocation of the latterbetween a raised position (not shown) wherein the lower tapered ends ofthe pins are withdrawn into the suction plate, and a lowered positionwherein these pins project downwardly below the suction plate. The guidepins 155 are disposed directly above and substantially aligned with theunderlying spikes 47, and movement of these pins 155 into their lowerposition results in the free ends of the pins 155 being positionedclosely adjacent but slightly upwardly from the free ends of the spikes.When the pins 155 are moved downwardly, they penetrate appropriateapertures which exist in the fins and cause the fins to be properlyguided when they are dropped downwardly onto the spikes. Further, insome instances the fins do not move forwardly a sufficient extent whenbeing fed from the press onto the suction head. In this instance, thetapered lower ends of pins 155 coact with apertures in the fin to causea slight forward camming of the fins substantially instantaneously withthe release of the fins, to thereby insure the proper alignment anddeposit of the fins on the spikes.

OPERATION

The operation of the endless collector 4, and its relationship to thefin line 3, will be initially considered.

The ribbon or sheet material 8 is fed into the machine or press 10 andbetween the relatively movable platens which, when actuated, form aplurality of identical apertured strips which project forwardly of themachine in side-by-side relationship. The machine 10, as disclosed, iscapable of simultaneously forming thirty-two strips in side-by-siderelationship. The strips are moved forwardly under the suction plate 18directly over the upper reach of the endless conveyor, whereupon cutter16 is actuated to sever the fins F from the projecting strips, the finsthen being held against the suction plate. The upper conveyor reach hasthirty-two receiving stations positioned thereon in adjacentside-by-side relationship along the longitudinal length of the endlessconveyor, which stations are positioned directly under and in alignmentwith the thirty-two fins held against the suction plate 18. Each saidstation is formed by a pair of upwardly projecting spikes 47, one ofwhich is secured to each chain 43-43'. The pair of spikes associatedwith each station has, or is adapted to have, a partial stack of finssupported thereon, which fin stacks are designated S₁ through S₃₂. Whenso positioned, the suction above plate 18 is terminated so that the finsmove downwardly for deposit on the pair of spikes 47 located directlytherebeneath, which spikes pass through a pair of apertures in the fin,such as the apertures A and A' illustrated in FIG. 3.

Simultaneous with the termination of the suction above the plate 18,which is effected by opening a damper plate provided on the housingdefining the suction chamber, the valves which control the supply ofpressurized air to the passages 152 and pressure cylinder 157 areopened. This supplies pressurized air to cylinder 157 so that thealignment pins 155 are projected downwardly below the suction plate 18,thereby insuring proper alignment of the fins for deposit on the spikes.At substantially the same time, pressurized air supplied throughpassages 152 is jetted downwardly through the holes 153 so as to impingeon the fins, thereby assisting the effect of gravity and forcing thefins downwardly for reception on the spikes.

After depositing of the fins on the spikes, the endless conveyor isenergized and moved forward through a distance equal to thecenterline-to-centerline spacing between adjacent fins, which spacingalso equals the spacing between adjacent spike stations. Prior to orsubstantially simultaneously therewith, the press 10 undergoes a furtherpunching operation to cause formation of a further set of fins, whichfins are advanced forwardly and held below the suction plate 18. Thus,when the conveyor completes its incremental advance, whereupon each setof spikes has advanced one station, then a further set of fins arereleased from the suction plate and deposited on the upwardly projectingspikes. Accordingly, the set of spikes which was initially at station S₁and had a single plate thereon, has now advanced to station S₂ and asecond plate has been deposited thereon. This intermittent advancing ofthe conveyor in synchronism with the operation of the fin line 3continues until the spikes have advanced through all thirty-two stationssuch that, when reaching station S₃₂, the last fin is deposited thereonresulting in thirty-two identical fins being stacked vertically on thepair of spikes at this station. The next advancing movement of theconveyor removes this station from beneath the suction plate so that nofurther fins are deposited thereon. This stack of fins is thenintermittently advanced by the conveyor until reaching the dischargestation S_(e). As the conveyor moves the stack into the dischargestation, in which station the spikes project outwardly in substantiallyhorizontal orientation, the stack is effectively positioned on thehorizontal base portion 102 of the rakes 101, and is also positioned onthe stationary intermediate bottom rail 141 and the stationarycollecting rails 6. The stack is held horizontally between the pusherplates 103 and the raised support plates 136. The fin stack S_(e) isthus positioned for discharge from the conveyor.

The operation of the discharge device 5, and its cooperation with theendless collector 4 will now be described.

To discharge the fin stack S_(e) from the endless conveyor, whichdischarge occurs during the stopped portion of the conveyor cycle, thedischarge device 5 is initially in the position illustrated in FIGS. 6Aand 12. In this position, the pushing plates 103 associated with rakes101 are disposed rearwardly behind the inner end of the fin stack S_(e),whereas the front pusher plates 115 are in their forwardmost position.

The pressure cylinder 112 is energized to cause the crank arm 108 toswing clockwise, thereby causing the slides 105 to move forwardly(leftwardly) whereby rakes 101 are advanced leftwardly to push the finstack S_(e) off of the spikes 47 onto the adjacent guide rails 6. Thepusher plates 103 advance the stack to a position wherein the pusherplates are disposed just forwardly of the outer ends of the spikes. Whenreaching this forwardmost position, the front fin supporting plates 136are lowered so that the fins are supported by the brushes 142.

Simultaneous with the above forward movement of the rakes 101, the othercrank arm 134 moves the slides 131 rearwardly which causes the roller117 to be cammed upwardly by the camming lever 124 into the upper slot123, thereby raising the pusher plates 115 above the fin stack S_(e).The continued rearward movement of the slides 131 causes the pusherplates 115 to be moved rearwardly over the top of the fin stack untilreaching the end of the slot 123, at which point the center guide rail119 terminates and the rollers 117 fall downwardly into the lower guideslot 118, which in turn results in the pusher plates 115 being droppeddownwardly behind the fin stack S_(e). When reaching this rearwardmostposition, the slides 131 contact the limit switch 143 which signals thatthe pusher plates 115 have reached the proper rearwardmost position.

Thereafter the pressure cylinder 112 is energized in the oppositedirection to cause counterclockwise swinging of the crank arms 108 and134, whereby slides 105 are moved rearwardly simultaneous with theforward movement of the upper slides 131. Forward movement of slides 131causes the pusher plates 115 to be forwardly advanced so that the stackS_(e) is moved along the guide rails 6 through a distance which isslightly greater than the displacement thereof by the rakes 101. As thepusher plates 115 approach the forward end of their stroke, the rollers117 engage the cam levers 124 and cause them to be momentarily swungupwardly so as to enable the rollers to pass therebelow, following whichthe cam levers will swingably return to their lower positions.

As the pusher plates 115 start to advance the stack S_(e), the dischargerakes 101 are simultaneously moved rearwardly, whereupon the pusherplates 103 thus pass through the recesses 125 formed in the pusherplates 115. The rakes 101 are slidably moved rearwardly until they areagain positioned so that the pusher plates 103 are disposed adjacent thebase of the spikes 47, at which position the slides 105 contact thelimit switch 144 which signals the completion of the dischargeoperation, whereupon the fin supporting plates 136 are again raised intotheir upper position, and the discharge device is then maintainedstationary until a new fin stack is moved into the discharge position ofthe conveyor.

Thereafter the drive unit associated with the endless conveyor isenergized so that the conveyor is again advanced forwardly through theselected distance so that the next set of pins containing thereon a finstack is advanced into the horizontal discharge position, whereby thedischarge device is activated and the above-described cycle is againrepeated.

Accordingly, by utilization of appropriate control circuitry which maybe of any conventional type, such as limit switches and the like, theintermittent operation of the fin collector 4 and the discharge device 5are synchronized with the operation of the fin line 3 to thereby permitthe substantially continuous and automatic forming, collecting andtransporting of large quantities of fins at a rapid rate. While theabove description describes the endless fin collector 4 as beingintermittently advanced through a distance equal to thecenterline-to-centerline spacing between adjacent fins, it will beappreciated that in some instances it will be desirable tointermittently advance the conveyor through a distance equal to amultiple of this centerline-to-centerline spacing, such asintermittently moving the conveyor so that it stationarily stops belowevery second or third fin as held on the suction head. This type ofoperation is particularly desirable in situations where the presssimultaneously forms several different types of fins during eachoperation, with the different fins being disposed in a repeating patternwhen held on the suction head.

In instances where the fins are manufactured from fairly heavy sheetmaterial, the individual fins will inherently possess sufficientrigidity as to permit total elimination of the suction head. In thesecases it is contemplated that the fins can be advanced forwardly of thepress and, when severed by the cutting device 16, be deposited directlyon the spikes of the conveyor. The endless conveyor could also be movedcontinuously, rather than intermittently, if desired.

The present invention is applicable with a fin line which forms anydesired number of fins during each operation. This invention is alsoapplicable to fins having a wide range of sizes and configurations. Forexample, the fins could be narrow rectangles or could resemble squares.The fins could also be formed with nonperpendicular corners.

Although a particular preferred embodiment of the invention has beendisclosed in detail for illustrative purposes, it will be recognizedthat variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus, includingthe rearrangement of parts, lie within the scope of the presentinvention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:
 1. In an apparatus forproducing, collecting and transporting platelike fins for heatexchangers, said apparatus including fin forming means forsimultaneously forming a plurality of fins in adjacent side-by-siderelationship from sheet material, said fin forming means including meansfor supporting said plurality of formed fins in said adjacentside-by-side relationship, and fin handling means positioned under saidsupporting means for collecting and transporting the formed fins, saidfin handling means comprising:endless conveyor means having an upperreach positioned adjacent said supporting means and movable relativethereto in a direction substantially transverse to the direction ofmovement of said formed fins as discharged from said fin forming means;stationary frame means having said endless conveyor means movablysupported thereon; a plurality of elongated fin collecting means fixedto and projecting outwardly from said endless conveyor means, saidplurality of fin collecting means being spaced a predetermined distanceapart throughout the lengthwise direction of said endless conveyormeans, said predetermined distance being equal to thecenterline-to-centerline distance between adjacent fins as supported bysaid supporting means, each said collecting means projecting outwardlyin substantially transverse relationship to said endless conveyor meansfor permitting a plurality of fins to be collected thereon in stackedrelationship; drive means connected to said endless conveyor means foreffecting intermittent, steplike, unidirectional movement thereof sothat said upper reach is intermittently advanced by an amount equal tosaid preselected distance or a whole number multiple thereof, said drivemeans being synchronized with the operation of said fin forming means sothat each intermittent advance of said upper reach causes said fincollecting means to be intermittently and sequentially positionedadjacent different locations on said fin forming means so that finsdischarged from said fin forming means onto said endless conveyor meansare sequentially stacked on said collecting means.
 2. An apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein each said collecting means includes a pairof elongated and substantially parallel pins which are fixed to andproject perpendicularly outwardly from said endless conveyor means, saidpair of pins being sidewardly spaced apart relative to the lengthwisedirection of said endless conveyor means, said pins projecting throughapertures in the formed fins for permitting the fins to be collected ina stacked relationship thereon.
 3. An apparatus according to claim 2,wherein said supporting means is positioned for permitting the formedfins supported thereon to be discharged downwardly, said endlessconveyor means being positioned with said upper reach extendinghorizontally beneath said supporting means so as to be movable in adirection substantially perpendicular to the side-by-side relationshipof said fins, said pins are fixed to said upper reach projectingvertically upwardly so that the upper free ends of said pins arepositioned closely adjacent and slightly below the fins as held by saidsupporting means.
 4. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein adischarge device is disposed adjacent said endless conveyor meansdownstream of said fin forming means for sequentially and automaticallyremoving the stacks of formed fins from said endless conveyor means. 5.An apparatus according to claim 4, including sprocket means engagingsaid endless conveyor means downstream of said supporting means forcurving said endless conveyor means downwardly so that said pins passthrough a station wherein they project outwardly in a substantiallyhorizontal direction away from said endless conveyor means, and saiddischarge device being positioned for removing the stack of fins fromthe respective collecting pins when located substantially at saidstation.
 6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said dischargedevice includes movable rake means disposed adjacent said endlessconveyor means at said station, and actuating means connected to saidrake means for causing reciprocating movement thereof between a firstposition wherein the rake means projects between the pair of pins atsaid station for engaging the lowermost fin of the stack and a secondlocation wherein the rake is positioned horizontally outwardly away fromsaid pins so that movement from said first to said second positioncauses said stack of fins to be removed from said pins, and chute meansadjacent said endless conveyor means at said station for receivingthereon the stack of fins when said rake means is moved into said secondposition.
 7. An apparatus according to claim 6, including secondhorizontally reciprocal rake means positioned adjacent saidfirst-mentioned rake means for engaging the stack of fins at said secondposition and slidably displacing said stack along said chute meansthrough a predetermined distance outwardly away from said endlessconveyor means.
 8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein saidfirst-mentioned rake means is mounted solely for substantiallyhorizontal reciprocating movement, and wherein said second rake means iscyclically movable along a substantially horizontally elongated looplikepath, said second rake means being lifted vertically upwardly when beingreturned toward said second position.
 9. An apparatus according to claim1, wherein said endless conveyor means includes front and rear driveshafts extending horizontally in substantially parallel relationship,said drive shafts being positioned horizontally on opposite sides ofsaid supporting means, a pair of front sprockets nonrotatably connectedto said front shaft in axially spaced relationship, a pair of rearsprockets mounted on said rear shaft in axially spaced relationship, apair of endless chainlike members disposed in spaced and substantiallyparallel relationship and each supported on and drivingly engaged withone each of said front and rear sprockets, each chainlike member beingformed from a plurality of pivotally connected links, each of said linkshaving a single elongated rod rigidly fixed thereto and projectingoutwardly therefrom in substantially perpendicular relationship.
 10. Anapparatus according to claim 9, including first adjustment means forvarying the axial spacing between the pairs of front and rear sprocketsrelative to their respective shafts, and second adjustment means forpermitting all of said sprockets to be axially slidably displacedsynchronously as a unit relative to said shafts.
 11. In an apparatus forproducing, collecting and transporting platelike fins for heatexchangers, said apparatus including fin forming means forsimultaneously forming a plurality of fins in adjacent side-by-siderelationship from sheet material during each operational cycle, said finforming means causing the plurality of side-by-side fins to bedischarged substantially horizontally outwardly in the lengthwisedirection of said fins, and fin handling and transporting meanspositioned adjacent said fin forming means for collecting andtransporting the formed fins as discharged from said forming means, saidfin handling and transporting means comprising:endless conveyor meanshaving a substantially straight upper reach positioned adjacent saidforming means and movable in a direction substantially transverse to thedirection of movement of said fins as discharged from said formingmeans; and a plurality of elongated fin collecting means fixed to andprojecting outwardly from said endless conveyor means, said plurality offin collecting means being spaced a predetermined distance apartthroughout the lengthwise direction of said endless conveyor means, saidpredetermined distance being equal to the centerline-to-centerlinedistance between the sidewardly adjacent fins as discharged from saidforming means, each said collecting means projecting outwardly insubstantially transverse relationship to said endless conveyor means forpermitting a plurality of fins to be collected thereon in stackedrelationship.